The beginner's guide to running

I was a late-bloomer when it came to fitness.

True, now I'm at my happiest when I'm lunging, squatting, pressing, or crunching, but as a kid, PE was a cruel torture that could only be survived by constant complaining and slacking off.

Up until about age 16, attending PE ranked up there with dentist visits and family reunions, and while it was something I dreaded daily, my fear was never as great as it was during the weeks we devoted to running.

I could just about struggle through the 100m dash, but after two laps around the track, I would start to see stars.

I did happen to have the very valid excuse of bad asthma "something I've fortunately grown out of" but my main complaint was simply that I hated everything about running.

Once I started going to the gym, the dread I had concerning running quickly turned to envy.

The elliptical machine was my cardio of choice, but I couldn't help jealously looking at those people running triumphantly on a long line of treadmills.

With their iPods pumping and their eyes focused, to me they seemed the definition of fitness.

After a couple years of avoiding running completely, my still strong desire to become "a runner", along with a fitness plateau, pushed me to try it again.

Getting started was much easier than I thought, because I found out that, for years, I had been going about it the wrong way.

What I dreaded most about running was having to run flat out for half an hour, but it turns out that this isn't the most effective way to get started. You need to ease yourself in.

Anyone wanting to start a running program should actually start out by running very little.

For example, during your first week, you may want to start with just 60 seconds of running followed by 3 minutes of walking and repeating this 3 times.

After a couple years of avoiding running completely, my still strong desire to become "a runner", along with a fitness plateau, pushed me to try it again.

Charlotte Currie

Then try decreasing the amount of time you walk in between and increasing the number of repetitions (run for 60 seconds, walk for two minutes, repeat six times).

New runners then gradually introduce longer running times into their program until they've reached a point where they are comfortable running for longer periods without relying on walking breaks.

This being said, "fartlek" training "where runners vary their speeds like beginner runners are encouraged to" is a very effective way to challenge yourself and to lose weight.

While I started running simply to prove to myself that I could do it, the benefits of running should be motivation enough for anyone.

The Runner's Guide, which is a sort of online Bible for runners, lists not only weight loss and decreased chance of things like stroke and heart disease as the benefits of running, but also less stress and a generally better mood.

Running is a great way to take your mind off a problem, and since all you really need are a pair of trainers, you can just get up and go whenever things start to get on top of you.

You may also experience something referred to as a "runner's high", caused by the release of endorphins, the same hormones that get released when you have a giggle session or take a bite of chocolate.

The guide also sites running as "one of the most effective forms of exercise" for reaching your ideal weight, and with runners easily burning off 500 calories a session, it's easy to see why!

Given my history with running, it would surprise anyone, especially my old PE teachers, to know that I can now hop triumphantly onto a treadmill without then jumping off defeated two minutes later.

Getting started is easy. All you need are a good pair of trainers, a bottle of water, and maybe a race in a few months for motivation.

So long as you ease yourself into it, you can join the many people out there already reaping the rewards of running.